House Drama Festival, 2017: Is it time to ‘put down’ ‘Man Up’?

House Drama Festival, 2017: Is it time to ‘put down’ ‘Man Up’?

Mr Will Horan – HOD Drama

The House Drama Festival for 2017 has finally had its last ‘hurrah’ with a brilliant two nights of entertaining theatre on the 9th and 10th of May.

The evenings entertained twelve originally devised and scripted performances all with their own dynamic interpretations of the theme – ‘Man Up’. From challenging the traditions between the father and son era, to upholding a new mantra for our generation of boys, from exploring ‘might, masculinity and madness’ (read: Radcliffe), the Houses left no stone unturned through their exploration of ‘challenging societal expectations and refuting social norms’ (read: Biddle).

The Festival over both nights saw more than 1000 wide-eyed supporters barrack for their beloved House. Student moral was high, the energy and House spirit infectious, however for many of us, it was the courage and will so effortlessly demonstrated by the boys, many of whom haven’t taken to the stage before, during the evenings, which was truly nothing short of inspiring. The audience, on many occasions, were torn between a see-saw of outrageous, yet often bizarre, comedic moments, to emotive, vulnerable and maturely sensitive explorations of the theme.

With a tick over 2000 views streamed and with more than 200 viewers watching live at any one time, the 210 + students who took to the stage have proven that Drama is well and truly a universal language spoken fluently here at TSS. The House Drama Festival provides a pathway with which boys can shape/re-shape their ideas, in this context, of what it means to be a man, and begin to navigate their own path to manhood.

Congratulations to all Houses, and to the supporters, we look forward to seeing you at the 2018 House Drama Festival.